June’s word is Revelry, defined as a wild and noisy celebration.  How fitting that word is to where we are as a church, and where I am.

First the church, and why the term revelry is, to me, so fitting. Normally, for there to be wild and noisy celebrations, there must be a great deal of joy. I believe that you would all agree that there has been and is a lot of joy at TUUC. A great deal of it seems to have started about two years ago, when our new Developmental Minister, Rev. Dr. Linda Hart joined the church, and our joy has continued to grow ever since. It is said that there has to be dark for there to be light, for positive there is negative and for joy there must be sorrow. Linda has helped us see the light, the positive, and the joy here at TUUC. It was here, we just needed someone to help us find it again and develop it. That joy continues to build here and it is reflected in so many ways. I see it in the increased membership, the involvement of members in the church, the many positive inputs to the fUUture process that we just completed, and much more. Have you seen it? Have you felt it? Are you part of it?

I have seen it, I have felt it, and I have experienced it, perhaps more than some, due to being part of the Board of Trustees (BOT) during the last three and a half years.

The root of the word revelry is revel, and the definition; “Revel means to take great pleasure. If you revel in something, you’re not just pleased or even excited; you’re overwhelmed by joy.” This defines my time as a member of the board as I look back on the past three and a half years. No, it was not always full of joy, but looking back, it was truly a growing experience. This has so much to do with the amazing team that have shared my time on the BOT.

I could write pages about each member of the BOT, our minister, Linda, the committees that have been so helpful, and the many congregants who have interacted with me on so many levels. As a member of the BOT, perhaps you get to see TUUC in a different way. Yes, there are the many issues that need to be addressed, budgets, infrastructure support, and project coordination to name a few, but there is so much more. There is the chance to listen to caring people with their ideas for possible improvements, and then investigate ways to evaluate those ideas, and see how they might be brought to life. So many people, so many ideas, I am so glad to have been part of it, and so blessed to have all of you partnering with me.

We have moved so far over the past three plus years. Yes, there has been sadness as well as joy, darkness as well as light, but as mentioned above, that is what life is, whether it is one’s personal life, or the life of a church. We have weathered storms and we are better, more knowledgeable, and stronger because of it.

To all of you that have taken all or part of this trip with me, thank you for your support, your council, and your deep caring for TUUC and the congregants that make it up. To each of you at TUUC I share this thought, this idea, this concept — it is one that can change your life, as it has mine:

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do.”  – Edward Everett Hale

In Revelry,

Bob Hays

President, Board of Trustees